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Shortly after arriving in Togo, we were given the
opportunity to hike to a “nearby” waterfall. For only a few hundred CFA per person,
we hired a guide to show a group of six of us the way. We started out on a “road”
which was mostly flat but found its way over a few hills. It was midday, so I
blamed heat and dehydration for my fatigue as we climbed the slow inclines over
the course of about an hour. Eventually, the rusty red colored dirt road came
to an end where a single-file path continued into the jungle. Along the way we
passed multiple goats, huts, and people who were sitting at fires or cutting
wood. Naked children ran up to us with big smiles or waved from near their
homes. We fell behind our guide a few times and had to stop where there were
forks in the path and call out for him to come back and find us. At a small
group of huts we turned to follow a path that led up the mountain. I am pretty
sure the path was vertical. I was no longer able to blame the heat alone: I
admitted to being out of shape. Once beyond the climbing, the narrow path
continued with a wall on one side and a sheer drop on the other (so nowhere to
sit and catch a breath). Ultimately, the path led down steeply to a small pool
at the base of a lovely waterfall. Here we clambered into the water for a cold and
refreshing dip. It was so cold, in fact, that I experienced a shiver on the
continent of Africa for the first time. Rebecca asked if it was worth the walk,
to which I replied “no” but have to say that it was a good experience overall in
retrospect.

Seeing a patient in the clinic with Ephrem (PA originallyfrom Rwanda).

The daily routine for me in Togo included participating in
hospital rounds each morning and then usually heading over to the clinic in the
afternoon. If I was on call (which was about every three or four days), I would
head back to the hospital in the evening to round on all the patients again. I
probably saw around 20-30 patients in the hospital each morning and not quite
that many in the clinic during the afternoon. This ended up making for some long
days, but this is exactly the work I have been called to. I was able to see and
treat some very interesting diseases. It was very encouraging to watch some of
these patients improve dramatically as we treated them. Several children with
malaria and typhoid fever came in very sick and near death, but were laughing
and playing by the time we sent them home. Children are the same everywhere.
Some warm up to people slowly and others light up with the least attention. The
children we treated were a blessing to me.

One man, who went by the name Felix, had been treated at the
hospital months prior after a work injury. He had fallen from a pole and ended up
having one of his legs amputated. I was able to pray with him and a few others
after a bible study with one of the other missionaries in the housing
facilities next to the hospital. The next Sunday, following baptisms at a local
church plant, Felix committed his life to Christ. This is what it’s about! This
hospital opened in Togo the year I was born, 30 years ago. Churches that those
medical missionaries started are still there and have planted churches in
neighboring villages. The hospital and clinic have proven to be effective ways
of showing Christ’s love to hurting and dying people, but the impact of
continued discipleship is evident in the daily lives of hundreds of people
there who love Jesus and have been called to ministry and missions in their own
homeland. Praise God.

The urgency of sharing Christ becomes real in the hospital.
One man whom we believed to have suffered a stroke was not doing well when we
rounded on him in the morning. I prayed over him even though he was in a coma.
I asked Jesus to make Himself known to this man somehow because we were not
able to share the gospel with him. Less than an hour later the man had died.

This is the young man with Hep Bshortly after praying with him (days before his death).

I saw one 14 year old boy each morning for
nearly two weeks. He had come to the clinic feeling unwell after being treated
for malaria and typhoid fever for several weeks already. We admitted him to the
hospital and gave IV fluids and medication. He seemed better after a few days
so we sent him home. He ended up coming back even worse the next day. We later
discovered that he was positive for hepatitis B and we thought there was a possibility
of some type of cancer also. We had no way of treating him and he became worse
each day. I walked to lunch one day feeling unwell and so took the afternoon to
sleep. When I tried to get up for supper, I began experiencing violent shakes
with chills. This was the second time I experienced chills on the continent of
Africa. It was evident that I had a fever and so did not see patients at the
hospital the next day. When I headed back to the hospital the following
morning, I was informed that my patient had died. I had prayed with him for his
healing and salvation. I know one of the pastors had visited him and his father
several times, but I do not know what his last thoughts were. Did he call out
to Christ? We had shown him love and told him whose love we were sharing with
him. This is why we go.

Worship on Sunday morning.

Children reaching for my phone.

We were encouraged by many things in Togo: the spread of
Christ and His church by missionaries and Togolese alike, baptism of brothers
and sisters, the healing and recovery of many patients, smiling children,
seeing people ask Jesus to become their Lord, and fellowship with other
believers. Yet, Togo is full of people who have yet to hear the name of Jesus.
There are Muslims throughout the country and many who are animistic. We have
been informed that human and child sacrifice still happen in Togo. How dreadful
that any should be sacrificed when Christ Himself has already paid that price
for each of us. Pray that the knowledge of Christ would continue to spread
through the efforts of the missionaries in Togo and through the Togolese believers.

Dr Fred Pfenniger rounds on a baby boy with multiple birthdefects including cleft lip and palate.

This short trip allowed me to learn and allowed me to serve
the people of Togo and to serve the missionaries who live there. I learned a
lot from Dr. Fred during morning rounds. He and his wife are finishing their
two years at the hospital through World Medical Mission. They and some of the
other long-term doctors hope to come back, but must return home for a time. The
hospital is already hurting for more help and will soon be without four of its
doctors. This is part of the gap that I and a few others with World Medical
Mission seek to fill. The hospital can only continue to function while there are
doctors there to run it – and two or three are not enough for a hospital as
busy as this. Surgeons and obstetricians are also needed. Pray that the Lord
would provide long and short-term physicians with Christ’s heart for people where
they are needed.

Just after delivery.

We are home now (although the definition of home becomes
less clear). We arrived after safe travels and have reunited with our children.
There are many things that need to be done before we can move to language
school and then to Togo, but we are trusting the Lord to provide. At this
point, we need to find people to join us in our work by agreeing to help us
with monthly financial support. We are currently estimating a need for about
$4000 each month. We have no doubt that our Lord will provide when we obey His
call on our lives.

We find at every turn hardship and difficulty, but there is
always an equal measure of Christ’s own grace. We cannot wait to see what He
will do. Worship Him today. Thank Him.

About Us

Our dream for many years has been to share the love of Jesus with people through medical mission work. Now we are finally getting to see the Lord's will unfold as we work at a mission hospital in Togo, West Africa. Please join us on our journey!